NAWIC CEO Cathryn Greville addresses the fundamental role men have to play in women’s advancement in the construction industry
In 2025, NAWIC is committed to driving culture change to create fair, inclusive and respectful workplaces where women – and everyone – can thrive. Our vision is an equitable construction industry for all.
When speaking about the work that needs to be done to make the industry one which attracts, retains and advances women, I am often asked about the role of men in the sector.
Sometimes the question is as simple as: ‘Is there a role for men in gender equity work?’ or ‘Are men able to become members of NAWIC?’
The answer to both questions is a resounding yes. We are committed to, and welcome men, in all aspects of NAWIC’s work. In fact, currently 11 per cent of NAWIC’s membership identify as male, and that number continues to grow.
We consider men to be key to building the culture we need to ensure the sector works for women – underpinning its future success and sustainability.
I’d like to touch on a few reasons why it is critical for men to be part of this change.
Driving gender equity
With men making up almost 88 per cent of the sector, there is a big piece missing if we only focus on initiatives directed at women. This is the case on representation alone – to change culture, we need to engage as many people as possible, and in the case of construction, the predominant group is currently men. But it runs much deeper than that.
The current barriers are not women’s issues to solve. Rather, they are industry-wide cultural issues that require commitment and contribution from across the sector.
In fact, creating fair, inclusive and respectful workplaces is everyone’s responsibility. Engaging men, including men in leadership positions, is key.
Hence a key area of NAWIC’s focus this year is on engaging men and working collaboratively together to achieve gender equity and an equitable industry that is better for everyone.
Male Allyship in Action
NAWIC’s successful Male Allies program is open to all members, and our Male Allyship committees are informing and driving our work with men in the sector. We have built these on the knowledge that men in allyship programs are three times more likely to positively address gender bias. Men really do have a big role to play in ensuring women’s success.
Our three-year culture change project, Allyship in Action, is predicated on the need to engage with men to tackle poor attitudes and behaviours – including men in site-based roles, empower men to sponsor women into leadership, and utilise the power of cultural ambassadors (comprising men, women and non-binary folk) to embed positive change on the ground.
These programs are being built to apply to workplaces around the country, in all types and sizes of business and all market segments impacting construction. We are taking a multi-pronged approach to embedding allyship and ambassadorship across the sector.
It is important to recognise that men themselves are driving this too. Many men recognise that inclusive workplaces benefit everyone – individuals and organisations alike.
When you look at the negative effect that the culture of construction is having in areas such as mental health, suicide, flexibility, work-life balance, caring responsibilities, relationship stability, etc – these are all critical for men just like they are for women.
Initiatives like NAWIC’s Allyship in Action project will further amplify the positive impact we are already seeing from having men committed to and working with us to drive better construction culture.
Addressing discontent
It would be remiss of me not to recognise the failure in messaging to men, and understanding of some men, around gender equity and what this means in practice.
It is true that many men have felt side-lined or left out of conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion or ‘DEI.’ Whilst unintentional, there is a need to reframe what inclusion really means to bring men into the discussion in a meaningful way.
NAWIC uses the term ‘fairness, inclusion and respect’ or FIR for short, to reframe what we are really talking about: making workplaces where everyone wants to work and has the opportunity and support to thrive.
Moving forward together
So, in summary, we are calling men in to drive this with us, recognising that:
- We must be honest that to advance women, we need to do this collaboratively with men
- We need to engage men not just as supporters but as stakeholders who benefit from, and are essential to, creating more equitable workplaces
- We must communicate the benefits for everyone – gender equity is not a zero-sum game seeing women advance at the expense of men, but rather a win-win which is good for everyone, in so many ways.
Men have a huge amount to gain from gender equity and we will be showcasing that in our work moving forward.
Join NAWIC’s work
Returning to the second common question, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to men across the sector to join NAWIC in driving this positive change.
NAWIC is fortunate to have the support of an incredible group of male members – both individuals and organisational leaders – who are equally committed to increasing the representation and opportunities for women. We would absolutely love more men to join us.
Come and play your role to help us build a sector where everyone can participate, belong and succeed. Construction needs you!
* NAWIC is excited to be leading Allyship in Action: Transforming Culture to Attract and Retain Women with industry partners ADCO, the Australian Workers Union, CPB Contractors, Holmesglen Institute, and the University of Sydney. This is a federally funded three-year innovative culture change project with men at its heart – designed to engage specifically with men and support upstanders to build fair, inclusive and respectful workplace cultures across the sector.
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